Between Worlds: Folktales of Britain and Ireland (udgave 2019)

This is a fantastic collection, and aptly named. Written in classic fairytale style, it’s also unique, lyrical, colorful and strange, giving it that otherworldly feel characteristic of the genre; not here or there but somewhere, in-between worlds where all manner of unexpected things can happen. With expert care, the author has brought together fresh, obscure tales with well-imagined familiar ones, breathing new life into something timeless. Beautiful and highly recommended. ( )

Folktales are magical portals to the past, passed down from generation to generation. Magical beings, morality lessons, social commentary, legends, tales of heroes, revenge, evil....there's a little bit of everything in folktales. I'm especially fond of tales from Ireland and Britain.....it's in my DNA. Plus it's the perfect time of year to enjoy some old tales of strange, eerie and legendary happenings. And, this book delivers! Great stories! Awesome illustrations!

I read this book slowly, savoring each of the 50 stories. I like to take my time with story collections, even when they are short. I read the stories one at a time and let them soak in....making the book last. I thoroughly enjoyed each story. And I've ordered a physical copy of this book for my keeper shelf. I will be re-reading this one!

The stories are separated by theme -- magic, legends, faeries/little people, passion & love, tricks and ghosts. My favorite tale in the book is King of the Cats. That's been a favorite story of mine for a very long time, and the author did a great job with his version. My favorite section is of course the ghost story portion. I love ghostly stories, and Kevin Crossley-Holland picked some good ones to include!

A very enjoyable reading experience! This is the first book by Kevin Crossley-Holland that I've read. He's written many books including one about Norse Myths. I'm definitely going to be reading more of his work! The illustrations by Frances Castle in this book are awesome and showcase the folktales perfectly! The book's front cover is perfect as well.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this story collection from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Good
Recommend: Highly recommend
Level: Middle school or high school

Tons of stories here and all have source notes on their origin in the back. I enjoyed some sections better than others but all invoke the compelling nature of storytelling. I especially enjoyed the section of magic and scary stories. All of these stories are very short, ranging from one page to no more than a dozen. These stories would be great for those who love folktales, teachers/parents wanting short stories to read aloud, or for those studying folktales. ( )

This collection of folktales is split into different themes: Magic and Wonder; Adventures and Legends; Fairies and Little People; Power, Passion, and Love; Wits, Tricks, and Laughter; Ghosts. The st9ories themselves come from all over Great Britain, Ireland, and from some of the smaller islands. Many have a variety of versions, and only one is used here. Some are very short, others a bit longer. There is an English version of Rumplestiltskin, and a version of Cinderella. All are fun to read.

In the Sources and Notes section at the end Crossley-Holland gives a little more information about the origins of each of the stories. I would have preferred that each of those be at the beginning of the story itself. It was neat to find out that one of the stories--The Farmer and The Boggart--was collected in the small town (Mumby, Lincolnshire) my 3ggrandfather was christened in in 1824. Did he know a version of this story?
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These versions of the stories in this collection were previously published in two collections (1987 and 1997)--the illustrations are new. All of the stories originally came from stories collected and published in the 19th and 20th centuries. Crossley-Holland updated them to modern English (out of various dialects, he is also a translator from Anglo-Saxon). ( )

Collectors of folktales and fairy stories will love this rich retelling of British and Irish folktales, from familiar stories to lesser-known tales. They're organized into legends (with pronunciation guide for the Gaelic), ghosts, trickster and witty tales, etc. The language is rich and beautiful, with the flavor of the original and a contemporary flair. From a library perspective, I'm not sure how much of an audience you'd have for these, even with the striking black and white illustrations, but as a collector this is one I will definitely want on my shelf.

Galley provided by LT Early Reviewers; Purchased for my personal collection